Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling) Support Group

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Trich same as being self-destructive?

Hey y'all!
I just had a really, really weird conversation with a fellow trickster. She compared cutting to trich and picking at your skin. She also said that tricksters pull their hair to cope the same way cutters cut to cope. I'm positive that it's not true, because I feel bad, really bad, after I pick. It doesn't make me feel good afterward!
I AM right, right?

I'm sorry, but I have to agree with what that person told you. I also do self injury (when under a tremendous amount of stress I will hit, punch, bite myself) and feel horrible about what I've done after wards. I also pick my lips. All of these things I think are what people use to deal with their stress. Some people are able to handle stress better then others, we just all have a different way of dealing with it.

Hi Lindsey..
I've been pulling since I was three. I'm 56. I'm also a clinical therapist. Trich is a compulsion, and can run in families. One of my brothers pulls and another &quot;plays&quot; but doesn't actually pull. Cutting is a coping skill, and is a learned behavior. Trich can be treated with meds and therapy (if it wasn't a compulsion, which is clinical in nature, pills wouldn't work). Cutting...the act itself....is not responsive to meds, only to therapy. There is ongoing research that drugs used for opioid addiction (Naltroxone) and Wellbutrin used in combination, might be effective for cutting, but there isn't enough information and nothing on the market. There are also reliable studies to show that this combination is effective for weight loss and will possibly be on the market by next year. I have been on Wellbutrin for pulling and it does help reduce, but not stop, the compulsion for me. I am trying NAC starting tomorrow.
I don't know what you've tried in the past, but don't get discouraged.....
Carol

I've purchased Latiesse and still pull. What a waster of $130.00. I am under a great deal of stress. No job, lost our house, etc. Going to have to move 14 hrs. away to live with my mother for a while at the age of 48, so a little stressed is an understatement. I have been on Wellbutrin for two years, and recently asked my doctor for something in addition to, and he gave me samples of Presiq. I can't say that either help with anything. People around me say I seem better when I don't take anything. I've skipped my meds for two days this week, and felt better, more positive, etc., but can never stop pulling! I hate it! I've pulled for at least 40 yrs. I'm really depressed today, and have pulled what I did have. Only eyelashes.

Hey Straitlin..
Don't just &quot;stop&quot; taking your meds. If you don't think they are working, call your doctor and have them help you wean off. You'll be off in approx 2 weeks. Just &quot;stopping&quot; can cause some nasty withdrawal stuff you don't need to add to all of what is going on with you.
Carol

lindsey, I have to disagree with that other person and agree with you.

First of all, the argument that Carol had is the best. Cutting and other 'self-mutilation' is a learned behavior, whereas pulling is more of a coping skill that can be passed along families through the genes.

Second of all, I often don't even realize when I am pulling, until after it has been done, or until suddenly I become aware of the fact that my hand has been at my eyes for an hour or two. I'm pretty sure that cutters and others know when they are doing that to themselves.

I do agree with tiffany in that some people are better to handle stress than others, and also, some people handle more stress in different ways than others....but pulling isn't ALWAYS triggered by stress. Often, people with trich pull when bored, thinking, reading, not paying attention to what they are doing...etc... so pulling isn't ALWAYS a coping mechanism...where as self injury usually is.

Thanks for replying y'all! I guess pulling/picking depends on the person for whether or not it's self-destructive. I don't do self-injury, I don't pick on purpose, and I don't pick because I feel like I deserve it. I also don't realize I'm coping while I do it, and I usually don't see an increase in my picking when I'm depressed or anxious. It just depends on how busy I am, really.

With me it helps in a way. If i pull then I won't cut and I always feel incredibly terrible after cutting not to mention it's a lot more dangerous. Plus when i'm around people I can pull without anyone noticing the same way i used to pick at my skin... I rarely pick at my skin anymore. It's a safer alternative I guess.

i think you're both right. i think people have their own opinion about this. i have anxiety and for me, trich is a coping mechanism for that, albeit a self-destructive one. i always feel bad/like a failure after a pulling episode, but that doesn't stop me from doing it, and that's the vicious cycle that a lot of trichsters are caught it.

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